Introduction to the World Series Game 4
Hangover 4. Have they made that movie yet? No? Well, they just did, at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, complete with headaches, nausea and the shaky feeling of impending doom. Less than a day after an exhausting six-and-a-half hour, 18-inning victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Dodgers curled up in the corner with a cold washcloth while the Jays smothered them with it.
The Aftermath of the Longest Game in World Series History
After four games of this World Series, the Dodgers have the sweats while the Jays are fresh, feisty and very much alive, having pulled into a two-game-apiece tie after a 6-2 victory in a slog of a Game 4. Certainly, both teams entered the night exhausted after the Dodgers’ 6-5 victory in the longest game in World Series history Monday night. But while the Blue Jays literally bounced back, the Dodgers went psssssst.
Analysis of the Teams’ Performance
“This team is talented, they’re resilient — talking about the Blue Jays,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “And they came back fighting.” While the Blue Jays received strong starting pitching from Shane Bieber and powerful relief from an exhausted bullpen, the Dodgers received an underwhelming start from weary Shohei Ohtani and yet another bullpen meltdown. The Blue Jay offense was aggressive, battling, nine of their 11 hits were singles and they did all this without veteran star George Springer.
The Dodgers’ Struggles
“You see these guys grinding and using the whole field,” said Roberts. The Dodgers offense, meanwhile, could barely hold the bat on their shoulders, scoring only two runs despite having runners on base in seven of nine innings, and they’ve now scored three runs in the last 20 innings. “We could do at least the bare minimum to be able to put up some runs,” said Ohtani through an interpreter in what sounded like a rare critique of his teammates.
The Road to Recovery
Before the game, Jays manager John Schneider correctly predicted his team was far from finished, saying, “It’s the World Series. Everyone is feeling good. They like these situations. We have responded well in these situations. In terms of second wind, no, man. It’s just wake up, get ready to do it again.” It was a powerful proclamation, and the Dodgers? “We just didn’t have an answer,” said Roberts. Their lack of response was epitomized by the sorriest ninth-inning rally in recent memory, Teoscar Hernández leads off with a walk and Max Muncy doubles and nobody else can get the ball out of the infield until there was two outs — and Alex Call flied out to left to end the game.
The Series So Far
While the series is very much up for grabs, Tuesday’s loss makes one thing very sickly certain. If the Dodgers do become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in 25 years, they will have to celebrate that title in Toronto. After Wednesday’s Game 5 here, that’s where the series travels for Game 6 and 7, if necessary. For the 62nd consecutive season, the Dodgers will not be able to share that championship party in front of their home fans. That stinks. But first things first. Starting with recently shaky Blake Snell on Wednesday, and continuing with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow in Toronto, the Dodgers will have to figure out how to get at least seven innings out of the starters and stay the hell away from the damned awful bullpen.
The Bullpen’s Role in the Loss
It was the bullpen that unsurprisingly gave this game away after Ohtani left in the seventh inning trailing only 2-1 but with runners on second and third. Enter Anthony Banda, who yielded an RBI single to Andres Giménez and an RBI grounder to Ty France. An intentional walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. later, Blake Treinen took the mound and gave up an RBI single to Bo Bichette and another RBI single to Addison Barger. The Dodgers trudged out of that inning trailing 6-1 and the game was essentially over.
Reflections on the Game
“Not great,” said Muncy, who has three hits in 17 at-bats in the series. “We’re missing on the big opportunities, myself included. I’m one of the big culprits of that. I’ve had some opportunities and I haven’t cashed in. We gotta get the big hit.” And to think, the day started so brightly. Kiké Hernández leaned into the stands on the second pitch to catch a foul ball. Ohtani was walked in the first inning to mark his 10th consecutive time reaching base. The video board showed Prince Henry and Meghan, both wearing Dodger caps, and the crowd booed, and it was all such fun.
Conclusion
The Dodgers’ loss in Game 4 of the World Series has put them in a difficult position, trailing the series 2-2 and facing the possibility of having to win the championship on the road. The team’s inability to respond to the Blue Jays’ aggressive offense and their own bullpen’s meltdown has raised concerns about their chances of becoming back-to-back champions. With the series heading to Toronto for Game 6 and 7, the Dodgers will need to regroup and find a way to overcome their struggles if they hope to win the title.
FAQs
Q: What was the final score of Game 4 of the World Series?
A: The final score was 6-2 in favor of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Q: What was the reason for the Dodgers’ loss in Game 4?
A: The Dodgers’ loss can be attributed to their inability to respond to the Blue Jays’ aggressive offense and their own bullpen’s meltdown.
Q: What is the current state of the World Series?
A: The series is tied 2-2, with the Dodgers facing the possibility of having to win the championship on the road.
Q: What do the Dodgers need to do to win the series?
A: The Dodgers need to regroup and find a way to overcome their struggles, including getting more innings out of their starters and avoiding their bullpen’s meltdown.
